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Delphi in Greece, the most sacred place in the world , the navel of the world, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. That is what Delphi was for the ancient Greeks. A place of pilgrimage where the mysterious Oracle of Delphi, interpreted by the Pythia, priestesses, revealed future events and advised the great Greek city-states, the poleis, on their affairs of state.

If we have talked about Olympia as one of the most fascinating cities you can visit within the 13 best monuments in Greece , it is clear that we cannot leave out Delphi, in Greece.

Delphi, in Greece , has become a place of worship, full of myths related to the most venerated and respected oracle in Greek religion.

It is said that because of him and his answers, it was decided whether or not to go to war or create a new city. For this reason, little by little, his wisdom ritual became a myth and from there, a city made legend.

Currently, you will not find anyone to tell you what you needed to hear, but it is impressive to see the ancient remains in the context that surrounds the Pythia, surrounded by beauty and incredible sunsets.

What to see in Delphi

Oddly enough, Delphi is a fairly lively city, with a historic center full of bars and restaurants next to trails for walking and unwinding on foot from Mount Parnassus. Curious the mixture right?

On the other hand, for the most historians and lovers of myths, we recommend you visit the archaeological site of ancient Delphi, a magical and timeless place that still maintains its charm and mystery.

You'll travel along a wide path through various sites that will lead you to the ancient ruins. There, you'll find one of Greece's most visited monuments: the Sanctuary of Apollo, considered the home of the oracle, dating back to the 4th century BC. However, as we explain below, these ruins hold much more, and there are several different points of interest to explore.

A powerful and magical site full of statues, streets and columns, which also includes a theater and the best preserved stadium in all of Greece. In fact, one of the important facts that you should know is that, from the top step of the theater, you can enjoy an incredible view of the entire city.

However, a must-see for lovers of the history of Delphi, in Greece , is the Sikelianos House Museum, dedicated to the Greek poet Angelos Sikelianos and his wife Eva Palmer.

How to get to Delphi

If you think that Delphi is a hidden city, you are far from reality. Getting there is very easy, especially by motorhome or by car, as it is about 170 km from Athens via the E75 highway.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to access it from the train because the cities are not connected, but if you prefer to go by bus, the journey time will not be more than 3 hours and you will find many routes during the day.

Our experience in Delphi

Upon arriving in Delphi, we immediately realized that parking would be very difficult . It was clear that it's one of Greece's major tourist attractions. There are no large parking areas; you can only park on the sides of the road in designated parking spaces, and there aren't many of them. Furthermore, overnight stays in motorhomes or campervans are strictly prohibited throughout Delphi for those of us traveling in motorhomes.

Overnight at a campsite in Delphi

So, we headed straight to the nearest campsite. It was a great find. One of the best campsites we stayed at in Greece. The campsite is called Apollo, or Apollon , as they spell it. If you don't have a motorhome, campervan, or caravan, this campsite is perfect because it also has bungalows of various types with fantastic views.

The first thing that surprised us and left us speechless at the campsite was its breathtaking view of the Peloponnese and Galaxidi . It's stunning to see the sea from the foothills of Greece's second highest mountain, Mount Parnassus, where Delphi is located.

The camping pool, its children's area, together with its giant chess and its tavern where we dined with the best sunset of our entire trip, undoubtedly made this place our best overnight site in Greece. We definitely recommend it.

From the campsite to the ruins there are about 20 minutes on foot, of which there are a few bad minutes on the road with a curve xungui, or you can take a taxi that calls you at the campsite reception itself.

We chose to enjoy the campsite and rest on the day we arrived, and the next day get up early to park under the archaeological sites before 9 am, which is when the whole place gets full of cars.

How to visit Delphi

Arriving at 9 am we found good parking without any problem and from there we started the visits all on foot.

Delphi has 3 visitor areas ; we tell you all about them and how to visit Delphi in Greece on our blog.

We made the visits just as the ancient pilgrims who came to this sacred place, Delphi, did.

The temple of Athena, the gymnasium and the fountain of Kastalia

We started at the lowest point, the Temple of Athena , the quintessential Delphi photo. Entry here is free, but there isn't much more to it than what you see in the picture. This was the pilgrims' entrance.

From here we continue up the road and see the old gymnasium on the left, and then on the right, the Kastalia fountain . This is where pilgrims used to bathe before climbing to the Temple of Apollo.

The main archaeological zone

We continue along the road to the right and see the ticket booths for the main area of ​​the archaeological site. We pay the entrance fee, which is free for those over 18, and gain access.

In the main archaeological zone, we will follow the marked path that climbs up the mountainside. First, we will pass along the Sacred Way , where the small temples that the ancient Greek city-states (poleis) erected as offerings and symbols of power were located.

Beyond these small temples, we see the great altar of the Temple of Apollo and its entrance. Here, offerings were made, which had to be purchased at the temple itself. These offerings granted access to the Oracle of Delphi through the Pythia, who would enter a trance and answer the questions posed to her. It is said that she likely entered a trance through narcotic substances or natural gas emanating from a fissure between some stones on the side of the temple.

Finally, we just climbed the hillside and found the theater and stadium of Delphi , where the Pythian Games were held, the second most important games of ancient Greece after Olympia.

At this point, we go back down the way we came up until we reach the bottom again and leave the archaeological site.

The Archaeological Museum of Delphi

Now, with the same ticket, we can go to the archaeological museum , just a 2-minute walk to the right as we exit. This will be the third area we visit in Delphi. It's one of the best museums we've seen in Greece, with beautiful sculptures and very well-preserved artifacts from ancient Greece.

Without a doubt, if we had to visit another archaeological site in Greece, we would choose Delphi . It is one of the best-preserved and most beautiful sites we have visited this month in Greece.